Anna Delvey Says ‘DWTS’ Made Her ‘Feel Inadequate and Stupid’

Anna Delvey has come out swinging against Dancing With the Stars after being kicked off the reality show.

Delvey, 33, accused the show of using her “to drive up the ratings” and complained about her experience on the show in an interview with NBC News on Thursday, September 26.

“I feel that the show so obviously used me to drive up the ratings, that they never had any plans to give me any chance to grow and only cared about exploiting me for attention,” she said. “It was predatory of them to try [to] make me feel inadequate and stupid, all while I did get progressively better, yet they chose to disregard that.”

The convicted criminal added that she “felt like I was never really given a fair chance by the viewers or some of the judges, given their nonsensical scoring.”

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Delvey was arrested in 2018 and remained in prison through her sentencing the following year. She served two years after being convicted on charges of grand larceny, second-degree larceny and theft of services. Delvey was released from prison in 2022 after paying $10,000 bail and placed on house arrest. Her saga was dramatized for the Netflix series Inventing Anna.

Her controversial past may have thrust her into the spotlight, but Delvey said she believed she got the short end of the stick on the show because of her reputation.

In the interview with NBC News, Delvey complained the reality show was “supposed to be a dance competition and not a popularity contest.”

Delvey was eliminated on the Tuesday, September 24 episode alongside her partner on the show, professional dancer Ezra Sosa, 23.

After Delvey was given the boot, cohost Julianne Hough, 36, asked her what she was going to take away from her time on Dancing With the Stars.

Delvey replied with a one-word answer: “Nothing.” The blunt response caused Sosa to shake his head and smile while Hough laughed the comment off.

“There you have it, absolutely nothing,” Hough said, while cohost Alfonso Ribeiro, 53, added, “You had fun, stop it.”

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Judge Carrie Ann Inaba, 56, said she was “taken aback by her comment” while speaking with Entertainment Weekly after the show.

“That was dismissive not only of the opportunity she was given, of her wonderful and supportive partner Ezra in his debut season, but also of all of us who work on the show — from the dancers to behind the scenes to the creative team,” she said. “We all put in the effort to give her a fair opportunity. But I don’t think she could see that and it’s a shame. A little gratitude could have changed the narrative.”

Meanwhile, Delvey responded to the backlash by thanking her supporters via her Instagram Story on Thursday, September 26.

“Grateful for all my amazing supporters who are smart enough to recognize and appreciate humor,” Delvey captioned a selfie. “Obsessed with all your DMs and posts. Love and thanks for nothing!”